Publication

This commentary looks at Turkey’s decision in May 2015 to send a ship to rescue Rohingya refugees - a Muslim ethnic minority living in Burma - in Southeast Asia. The author also discusses Ankara’s humanitarian assistance in Aceh, Indonesia in 2004 and in Kashmir in 2005, arguing that the Rohingya rescue mission is, like these two other instances, an example of Turkey's use of soft power to gain respect and trust in other countries around the world. Finally, the author also touches upon the implications of Turkey's helping the Rohingya refugees for ASEAN.